SHU Theatre Opens 2017/2018 Season

The College of Communication and the Arts' Theatre program is getting ready for its 2017-2018 season with four productions underway, ranging from a classic Shakespearean comedy to a delightful adaption of a Victorian romance.

"We’re kicking off the season with Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy As You Like It. As with many Shakespearean comedies, there will be witty language, physical comedy, song and dance," said Peter Reader, Associate Professor of Theatre in the College of Communication and the Arts.

This year's 2017-2018 lineup opens with William Shakespeare's As You Like It, an infusion of poetry and comedy in which two young maidens are banished and escape into the woods to find a new life and true love. The romantic drama will premiere Thursday, October 19and will run through October 20-21 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, October 22, at 2 p.m. in the Theatre-in-the-Round, in the University Center.

In preparation for the holidays, the program will celebrate December with A Christmas Cabaret, an evening of songs and comedic skits starting off the season. The energetic evening will kick off on Thursday, December 7 at 8 p.m. and run through December 8-9 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, December 10, at 2 p.m. in the Theatre-in-the-Round, in the University Center.

Comedy-drama Steel Magnolias launches the new year with a story by Robert Harling, about six southern, chatty women bonded together through life, love, tragedy, and hair styling. The curtain will open on this chronicle of friendship Thursday, February 22, and will run through February 23-24 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, February 25 at 2 p.m. at the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC).

Cast members directed by student Melanie Weir in As It Is In Heaven at the South Orange Performing Arts Center, February 2017.

Finally, Ernest in Love, an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's comedy The Importance of Being Earnest, closes the season with a final promise of laughter. Written by Anne Croswell, the play embodies a night of fun with romance, mistaken identities, and eccentric characters that are only found in a Victorian romance. This final show will premiere Thursday, April 19 through April 20-21 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 22 at 2 p.m. at SOPAC.

Communication and the Arts' Theatre program gives students the opportunity participate in mainstage productions as early as their freshman year – either on or backstage. The program nurtures students to apply their learnings in a professional atmosphere. "Our second show this year, A Christmas Cabaret, is a celebration of Christmas spirit. Melanie Weir, a senior Theatre/Creative Writing double major, is working on a script with musical direction by sophomore Theatre/Music major, Jordon Green," shared Reader. This will be the second mainstage production in which Melanie Weir takes on an important role. In the spring of 2017, Weir directed the mainstage production of As It Is In Heaven, under the guidance of a faculty mentor.

The Theatre Program is proud to be part of the Arts Council, an initiative supporting the integral role of the arts in higher education and housed in the College of Communication and the Arts. The Council starts its 2017-2018 season in September with fine and performing arts programming such as exhibitions in the Walsh Gallery, and performances from the Classical Concert Series and Jazz 'N the Hall. More information can be found here.